Maple Grove Author Releases New Children’s Book - 'The Ball That Did Not Like to Bounce'

“My book, along with many others', is made to open that door
in a child's mind. If a person never hears that it's okay to be different, they
may never know that it's okay.”

He may be a small red ball, but George’s story is planning
on reaching a big audience.

In his first published children’s book, Maple Grove resident
and author Brandon Vreeman shares the
story of George (a rubber ball) and his journey in “The Ball That Did Not Like
to Bounce.”

“The message really transcends all ages. They [children] can
really grasp the whole story at a young age. They can see themselves in George
and follow him the whole way – and, it’s the hope, that it resonates with their
experience,” he said.

Growing up in Southern Minnesota, Vreeman was surrounded by
books from an early age. His mother, a librarian, helped guide his literary
journey by providing him access to a variety of books as a young child. Fast
forward to today, books and encouraging reading has continued to play a key
role as a stay-at-home father of two young girls. Two years ago, he was
inspired to write “The Ball That Did Not Like to Bounce” and began making
strides toward publishing his children’s book – which became available to the
public in May with the assistance of Beaver’s
Pond Press and the book’s illustrator Tou
Yia Xiong.

“My book, along with many others', is made to open that door
in a child's mind. If a person never hears that it's okay to be different, they
may never know that it's okay. I think that's a great thing about children's
books and books in general,” he said. “It allows information to open doors and
give us experiences without necessarily having to go through those things
ourselves. It can give us something to look back on if we're actually faced
with those experiences.”

Through his book, Vreeman is helping kids learn about
accepting our differences.

“There is still discrimination and bullying happening to
many people because they are different. To truly make a long-lasting change in the
world, to truly eliminate these things, we need to start the change with our
children,” Vreeman said. “Feeding good information to kids will contribute in
making those lasting changes.”